God Works in the Midst of Loss

Dave with Pastor Adolfo Arias, Mario Silva and Pastor Amador Lopez in front of the church that is being rebuilt in Jojutla

Last week I experienced both heart wrenching and heartwarming emotions as I visited the areas that were hit the hardest by the Mexico earthquakes. It was heart wrenching to see the lost homes, churches and businesses. There were also lives that were lost.

Even in the midst of all the heartache and sorrow I heard stories of redemption that truly warmed my heart. It was so good to see first hand how the church was reaching out in the their community.

On September 19, 1985 a catastrophic earthquake hit Mexico City, and 10,000 lives were lost. Many of my friends lived through that tragedy, so the memories are still very real. With this new set of earthquakes that again fell in September one of them on the 19th and the other on the 7th in 2017, it not only caused a lot of damage, but it frayed nerves. I sensed while I was there that many were fearful that there may still be more earthquakes to come.

My friends told me how Mexico came together and united after these earthquakes. They all pitched in and helped those in need.

Total Loss in Jojutla

On February 25th they laid the cornerstone and inaugurated the new church they are building in Jojutla

One of the areas I visited was Jojutla which is about three hours from Mexico City in the State of Morelos. The church there, which is called Principe de Paz, “Prince of Peace,” was totally destroyed. There was nothing left, and they have had to start rebuilding from the foundation up.

Yet, even in the midst of their sadness and sorrow over their loss they began to reach out in the community. Donations came in and they were able to provide meals to people in need until December 15th. The love of Christ was displayed in a powerful way through the church. New families have come to Christ as a result of their loving outreach.

Rebuilding in Joquicingo

Some of the damage to the church caused by the earthquake in Joquicingo

In another town we visited Joquicingo in the State of Mexico, which was also about 3 hours from Mexico City close to Toluca. The church there was not destroyed, but the columns holding up the church were badly damaged, so they are having to rebuild and reinforce the church. They believe that it will take them a year to finish rebuilding.

Twenty two people in this church also lost their homes. Yet despite the loss and hardship sister churches rallied around them and sent them aid. The hospital in the city was damaged, so they were able to organize medical brigades as other churches came to their aid. They opened a farmacy in the church, since the hospital was not able to provide the medicine that many of the people needed. They said that there is still a shortage of insulin for those with diabetes, and they continue to help the people in the community.

Joquicingo, Mexico

The love shown by the church was attractive, and this church has also seen new people come into the church and come to faith.

I loved the opportunity to meet the people, and to encourage them and pray for them. When you are going through a trial, it helps to know that there are others who are concerned for your welfare.

My prayer for these two churches and these two communities is that the love of Christ would continue to shine as they rebuild again, and they climb out of the rubble all around them.

In my next post I will write about the churches and places we visited in the State of Oaxaca. That’s where many lives were lost, because they were so close to the epicenter.

Continue to pray with me for these dear friends who lost much, and who are seeking to show the love of Christ in communities that are hurting and in need of a Savior.

The Spirit is on the Move in Mexico City

Mario & Silvia with their son, Daniel

Dawn and I are seeking to grow in being more sensitive to the Spirit as we go through the day. We are realizing more and more that much of ministry happens in the unplanned moments as we go through our day.

I’m in Mexico City this week! I love this city, because of all our friends here and the many years we lived here.

On Friday Mario Silva and I went out for breakfast at the local VIPS so we could talk. Well, we ordered and just began to eat our breakfast when I noticed a woman sitting at a table near us, and she was crying. I asked her if she was okay, and she said that she was going through a really hard time. Mario and I invited her to sit with us.

We soon found out that her name was Gaby. When we asked her what was going on, through tears she shared, that her husband who is a successful doctor has been sleeping around. Gaby went on to say that she found out recently that he was using Cocaine.

She was broken.

The Love of Christ Lifts Us Out of the Pit

Mario and I began to share with her how much God loved her, and that was part of the reason she sat near us that morning. It was in the Lord’s loving plan for her to meet us, so we could share the love of Christ with her, and give her hope.

Then after we spent some time with her encouraging her, we also shared the gospel with her, and we told her the only way to fix her life was to let Christ into it. That’s where it all begins!

We asked Gaby if she would like to pray with us to receive Christ and she said yes! I had the privilege along with Mario to lead her in prayer to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior!

Pray for Gaby’s Spiritual Growth & More Divine Appointments

Mario’s wife, Silvia is a very godly and committed follower of Jesus, so we told Gaby we’d like to connect her with Silvia so she could help her grow in her new found faith, and give her some wise counsel as Gaby seeks to navigate some of the challenges she is facing in her life.

Seeking to share the love of Christ wherever we are, and whenever the Lord opens the door!

Dawn is usually the one to meet people in restaurants and share the gospel with them. She’s been a good example for me. I’d say on average Dawn shares her faith with at least one person every time we go to a restaurant and often with even more people. It was encouraging that even though my extroverted wife wasn’t with me that the Lord opened this door for us. Can you say, “Divine Appointment”?

Thanking Jesus! Every time something like this happens I believe it’s one more way that the Lord is redeeming our daughter’s early home going. It’s made Dawn and me even more bold to share the love of Christ with a lost and hurting world. Yay Jesus! 😃

The Journey Continues!

Dave leading one of our training sessions for the incubator

Today I’m off to Mexico City. Dawn isn’t joining me on this trip. We enjoy traveling and ministering together, but I’m going to visiting some of the sites where the earthquakes from last Fall caused the most damage, so we decided it would be better for Dawn to stay behind. Her mom is with her, so I’m sure they will enjoy the time together.

A Wonderful Accomplishment!

The Pastors who took the Incubator Church Planting Training and Finished!

Last week we accomplished a first for us. We finished up our incubator church planting training!

The incubator takes close to two years to cover the 16 modules that we train on. There were 10 people that took the course and 8 of them finished and graduated. I could tell that the guys were excited to graduate from the course. We gave each of them the opportunity to share their highlights. It was gratifying for us to listen to their testimonies.

One of the things we focused on throughout the training was the importance of being Christ-centered and gospel-centered. That the gospel and grace must permeate everything we do both inside the church and as we reach out to a world that is in deep need of a Savior.

Beautiful to See the Church Come Together

Pastor Jorge Aleman leading one fo the Sessions

The participants that took the incubator training were from two main groups, Ministerios Transformación and the Presbyterian Church. Even though they come from different church traditions it was so good to see them come together to learn. They forged a friendship among themselves.

One of the pastors that helped us to teach the course is Pastor Jorge Aleman from Monterrey, Mexico. I’m thankful for the effort Jorge made to fly out and lead. He has some great experience in the church and he is a gifted communicator. Jorge encouraged the guys to invite one another to preach at one another’s church and to continue to further develop their friendship.

Church planting is the best way to do evangelism and to reach a city for Christ. If we want to have successful church plants we need healthy, fully trained and equipped pastors. That is one of the major goals of the incubator, to prepare the church planter for the ministry that the Lord has called him to.

Join Us In Prayer!

Prayer is an important part of the Incubator training

Dawn and I appreciate your prayers as we continue to coach, mentor and train these friends and partners in the ministry. Pray that they will be effective in their respective churches. They are all at various stages in their church plant. There is one common goal among them they desire to have healthy and growing churches. That is our prayer as well!

Thanks so much for joining us on this journey! Remember to pray for me as I head off to Mexico City to minister in and around the city for the next 10 days. I will also be in Oaxaca for 3 of those days. Much of the earthquake damage occurred in Oaxaca.

Lord, do pour out your Spirit and do I mighty work as I seek to minister and represent Christ and his church!

Celebrating 29 years! Amazing!

Dawn and I are celebrating 29 years today! We. walk on this winding road of faith together. We give thanks for all our friends who are on the journey with us!

Today Dawn and I are celebrating our 29th anniversary! We are in Phoenix, so it will be a first for us enjoying our anniversary here.

It’s possible that my anniversary has put me in a reflective mood, but I posted some thoughts about my family today on Facebook on the Hannah Diaso Memorial page. As I began to write the thoughts just kind of flowed, so I thought I would post them here as well. Let me know what you think 🤔.

First, I’d just like to thank my wife for these 29 years together. Especially the last two years have been so difficult, and when I think of it we’ve had about 5 years of what sometimes appeared to be ‘hell on earth’. Yet instead of all this turmoil, all this pain drawing us apart it has drawn together. The Lord has used my wife to help me to grow in my faith and in my love for Christ. She is passionate, zealous and bold which at times pushes me to uncomfortable places, but it’s kept me from becoming complacent. It’s caused my relationship with Jesus to flourish and we are experiencing things in ministry that we’ve never seen before. It’s super encouraging to see all the Lord is doing! She’s also an amazing mother to our three children. These are some of the reasons that I love and respect my loving wife, Dawn!

Here’s to 29 more years together or more if we live that long!

Reflections on My Happy Family!

My happy family when Hannah was still with us. This was taken around April 2015 by our good friend Jacob Betchol

I love this happy picture of my family. I have it on my iPad homepage, so I see it every day. Yet, today I realize that when my daughter moved to heaven this was taken from me.

I’ve always taken pride, hopefully a healthy pride, in my family. It made me feel good knowing that my family was healthy and happy. I’m reminded that in John 10:10 that the thief, the enemy of our soul comes to steal, kill and destroy.

It’s hard to put to words, but I feel that in my idea of a healthy and happy family has been taken from me. Even in some ways I feel disappointed as a father. Not necessarily that I’ve failed, actually the Lord has encouraged me various times through various means that I am a good father. Yet, this isn’t what I hoped for or envisioned for my family.

I believe my family is doing remarkably well despite the terrible loss that we’ve suffered. I’m surprised and amazed at the maturity David & Jonathan have displayed! I’m encouraged by their faith and strength in the Lord.

My marriage to my bride is also stronger than ever today as we celebrate 29 years together. It’s been hard very hard to walk through the valley of shadow of death, but we are doing it, and we are doing it together.

Part of the challenge of losing someone so near, so dear, so loved is that it shatters many dreams. It shatters many of the things that I hoped for. It’s a pain that doesn’t ever fully seem to leave, even though it does get better.

I’m not writing this from a place of deep sadness, although it does sadden me that I can’t see my daughter’s beautiful smile any more. I’m in a more pensive and reflective place today. And I’m reminded when I look at the picture of my family laughing and having fun together, I realize too that I no longer have that seemingly ideal family.

The Lord is comforting each of us as we continue on this journey. In many ways I feel like he has cared for us and blessed us beyond measure since Hannah moved to heaven. I feel like as the enemy meant this to harm us, but that God is using it for our good. He is drawing us closer and closer to him. He’s given us a better perspective on the fact that life is short, and we should be careful not to live in fear and not to live just to please others.

He’s caused me to realize the importance of running hard after the Lord, to grow to love him in a deeper and more profound way. To make our love and service of Christ our ultimate goal in life, even if it doesn’t fit with a conventional comfortable life.

I do give thanks and my family gives thanks for the myriad of friends and family who have prayed for us and encouraged us as we’ve been on this long and winding road.

We need the Lord so desperately, and we we are so grateful for those who love us and have expressed their love to us in so many ways! Thank you, dear friends! We do love and appreciate you.

Staying on the Move

Pastor Abraham Velazquez leading worship

Sometimes there is so much going on it’s hard to stay up on my posts. I’m also trying to write a book, but I haven’t yet figured out how to squeeze time in to give it the necessary attention. I’d appreciate your prayers that the dream of publishing a book would become a reality. Also, If you have any suggestions on how to fit it into a busy on the go schedule let me know.

Dawn and I will be leaving for Phoenix in just a couple of hours. We will be connecting with a church in the area and we’ll be attending a church planters network meeting. It promises to be a good time with some outstanding friends and ministers of the gospel. To top it off we also will be celebrating our 29th anniversary on Monday, March 5.

Dave preaching in Tijuana

Brokenness and Healing

Last weekend, Dawn and I had the privilege of visiting Pastor Abraham Velazquez’s church in Tijuana. We’ve grown to love Abraham and his wife, Martha. It’s always special when we can be with them.

I had the opportunity to preach at their church. The sermon was on Isaiah 54, Breakthrough for the Broken! My family and I have experienced our share of brokenness over the last couple of years since Hannah moved to heaven. This passage gives us hope for a better tomorrow. The barren one, the broken one is told to sing and cry aloud, because the Lord is going to deliver her.

The passage goes on to say prepare yourself for growth. Enlarge your tent. Get your house ready, because I’m going to bring an increase. I am going to bless you!

Isaiah 54:1-3

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;break forth into singing and cry aloud,you who have not been in labor!For the children of the desolate one will be morethan the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;do not hold back; lengthen your cordsand strengthen your stakes.3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,and your offspring will possess the nationsand will people the desolate cities. (Isaiah 54:1-3)

One of the practices that Dawn and I have to look for the promises in the Bible and to use them in our prayers. These promises give us hope, especially when things go awry. Does that ever happen to you? I would like to encourage you to remember the promises of God and to repeat them often.

Breakthrough for the Broken in Tijuana

Ministerios Transformación Rojo Gomez church in Tijuana

It was such a good time to minister at Pastor Abraham’s church. After the sermon, we had a time of prayer, and it was so encouraging as people shared their testimonies. One of the leaders in the church said that he had been having nightmares that he was going to die. He felt a release and peace after the prayer. I sent him a note the next day and he told me that he slept well and that he didn’t have any nightmares!

Another young man shared about the abuse he had suffered in his family growing up. He was bitter, but he felt the need to forgive his family so I was able to lead him in prayer to confess and forgive. He also needed Jesus so I had the pleasure of leading him to Christ!God is so good, and he is definitely on the move.